JACKSONVILLE, Fla — A treatment for people still left largely unprotected from COVID-19 is now available in Jacksonville and doctors want to get the word out.
The new monoclonal antibody treatment by drug company AstraZeneca is called Evusheld and is available at Crucial Care on Baymeadows Road. It's different from other monoclonal antibody treatments that you get when you have COVID-19. It's specifically for people who are immunocompromised.
"Folks who've had transplants, who are on chemotherapy, cancer patients, those sorts of folks," said Dr. Nicholas Dodaro, chief medical officer at Crucial Care where the treatment is available. "This is designed to prevent them from getting COVID in the first place."
Debra Rusk checks one of those boxes.
"I had a bilateral lung transplant that was done in February of 2017," she told First Coast News. "So my five year anniversary is Saturday."
The FDA authorized Evusheld for emergency use in December. There are seven million immunocompromised adults in the U.S., according to the CDC. AstraZeneca's research finds it reduced people's risk of getting COVID-19 by 77 percent, though it may be less effective against Omicron.
Last week the FDA revoked emergency use authorization for two other monoclonal antibody treatment drugs by Regeneron and Eli Lilly, saying they're unlikely to work against Omicron.
"If you're immunocompromised but were vaccinated you're still a candidate for this medication." said Dodaro.
Dodaro says getting vaccinated should be your first line of defense, but these medical advancements are exciting to him.
"It feels similar to when we have had antibiotics for bacterial infections for years," he said. "We've not really had good treatments for viral infections like this. So it feels like a new era of trying to have some treatments for something we really couldn't do a whole lot for before. I would say there's a lot of the medical community that feels like this is an exciting time."
It's also a big relief for the immunocompromised like Rusk.
"I'm thrilled that this is an option because it gives me a little bit of peace of mind," she said. "I have done everything I can to protect myself. My husband also and yet he contracted COVID. So I'm really, really thankful that we have these options."
Dodaro says they have an adequate supply right now to serve the community. Contact Crucial Care in Baymeadows here.